


gap moe

by sebootyslay



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Platonic Love, Platonic Relationships, Warning! Cute Ushijima ahead!!!!, i love that man, is that a thing?, it should be, spoilers for timeskip, this is me spreading my ushijima supremacy agenda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:54:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28695012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebootyslay/pseuds/sebootyslay
Summary: in which no one realized how cute Ushijima Wakatoshi could actually be
Relationships: Tendou Satori & Ushijima Wakatoshi, Ushijima Wakatoshi/Everyone
Comments: 4
Kudos: 54





	gap moe

**Author's Note:**

> please excuse me and make way for my ushijima supremacy agenda. i absolutely love that man, and i think he needs to be appreciated more in the fandom
> 
> -Gap Moe is when a character does something completely contradictory to what their usual habits/personality/character/appearance dictates

People wouldn’t normally describe Ushijima Wakatoshi as a cute person. In fact, most would probably feel intimidated by him. However, those who did bother to get to know Ushijima, knew that the man wasn’t really the scary emotionless person that people had painted him to be.

In fact, they find him rather cute. Endearingly so.

Example being that one time where Tendou had asked him what he thinks about bunny or catgirls. He was ranting to Ushijima on how Bunny-girl Senpai ended as he was lying on Ushijima’s bed, the other listening as he flipped through that week’s Jump magazine’s ads.

“So, what do you think, Wakatoshi-kun?”

“Hm?”

“About bunny girls,” Tendou tilted his head down slightly so that he could see Ushijima. The boy had put away the magazine so that he could properly pay attention to him. Tendou grinned at the action.

“Bunny girls?” Ushijima’s eye furrowed at the question. “Female bunnies?”

“No, no,” Tendou sat up, crossing his legs. “Like, half girl half bunnies. Like catgirls.”

“There are half girls half bunnies?” Tendou wanted to sigh out loudly, but Ushijima looked too confused for him to actually do it.

“It’s this internet thing,” he took out his smartphone to search up some examples. He showed them to Ushijima who looked at the pictures intently. There was a beat of silence, Tendou letting his friend fully absorb the new information passed to him.

“I don’t understand. They just have cat and bunny ears on their heads.”

“Yes, but that’s the pull of it!” Tendou said with a grin. “The gap _moe_! They are human, but have these cute cat ears and like to be petted and meows. It’s super cute!”

“I don’t know these internet things very well,” Ushijima said slowly. “But I think I understand some parts of it,” Ushijima nodded to himself. “But… what’s a gap _moe_?” he asked again.

“Oh, my sweet child,” Tendou’s grin became even wider at the question. “We’re going to have a crash course on internet culture tonight.”

While Reon wasn’t a big fan of hosting sleepovers, there was nothing he could do to say no to Tendou and his ideas. That night, the third years all piled into his room. He had offered a seat on his bed to Ushijima, and the other took it up.

“No fair. Why is Wakatoshi treated like the favourite child?” Semi groaned. Reon just threw a pillow at him to shut him up.

“What I’m interested in is,” Yamagata yawned as he stretched on his bed. “Why all of you are congregating into our room tonight.”

“Well,” Tendou clasped his hands together. “I have decided that tonight is the night that we teach our dear Wakatoshi-kun about internet slang.”

“That’s gonna take more than one night.”

“Shut up, Semi,” another pillow was thrown to the silverhead. It came from the direction of Yamagata’s bed.

“Wakatoshi-kun here is interested in catgirls,” Tendou finally laid the bomb. Semi, who was about to throw hands with Yamagata, paused.

“Catgirls?”

“Tendou mentioned something about a gap _moe_?” Ushijima finally said. “I don’t really understand that. He said that all of you could help.”

“I don’t see how we could help?” Reon mused. Tendou let out a small ‘aha’ sound.

“I feel like we could just show Wakatoshi-kun what a gap _moe_ is!” Tendou lifted a bag he was previously holding. They all stared curiously at it, and the redhead fished a pair of cat-ears headband out of it.

“I’m sorry but where did you get that?”

“It’s amazing what konbini sells these days,” he said slyly. “Come here, Wakatoshi-kun,” he beckoned his friend over. Ushijima wordlessly stood up and knelt down in front of Tendou, looking at him expectantly. The middle blocker lifted his hands and placed the headband on gingerly on his friend’s head, not forgetting to give him a small pat at the end. “Look!”

“I don’t really understand,” Ushijima started. He leaned on his toes; hands placed on his lap as he glanced back at Reon. “What does this have to do with gap _moe_?”

As he looked back at his friend, the people in the room stopped breathing for a moment. Ushijima was clad in a faded Shiratorizawa sweater that had loosened up due to its constant washing. It hung loose on his body; the hem of the sleeves already unraveled so that it reached the boy’s palm. Tendou had convinced him to wear shorts that night, and it almost disappeared underneath the stretched-out sweater.

With the cat ears perched on his head and the questioning look on his face, Ushijima looked incredibly soft.

He looks cute.

Semi let out a soft gasp.

The gap _moe_.

“I hate your ideas sometimes, Tendou,” Yamagata groaned as he covered his reddening face with his pillow. Semi automatically took out his phone and snapped a picture, eyes never leaving Ushijima as he did.

“Tendou?” Ushijima turned back to his friend when the others didn’t reply.

“Could you try,” Semi called weakly. “Could you try asking for Tendou again and tilt your head?”

“Okay…?” Ushijima was beyond confused at this request, but if it will get him answers, he will do it. He looked back to his redhead grinning friend and did as he was told. “Tendou…?” he tilted his head slightly, feeling awkward doing so. Tendou stared at him, unblinking in his wide gaze.

“I think we broke Tendou,” Reon said with a sigh. Ushijima stared, now worried at his friend.

“Tendou?” He leaned in close, eyebrows furrowed. “Are you alright?”

Ushijima didn’t know, but something in Tendou’s brain short-circuited when the other looked at him, called his name and tilted his head while wearing those cat ears. He didn’t recall the others calling his name, only snapping back when something was pressed against his nose.

“Hah?” he called out blearily.

“Your nose,” Ushijima was staring down at him. Tendou had realized that his friend had a hand cupping the back of his neck and was pressing a tissue to his nose. “It’s bleeding.”

“Oh,” Tendou said dreamily, still lost at the sight of a worried Ushijima with cat ears. Maybe buying cat ears for Ushijima was a bad idea. Or a really good one. Tendou didn’t really care, because he is now being fussed over by said catboy.

Reon rolled his eyes, but if anyone asked, he would give catboy Ushijima a 10/10 rating.

After the whole cat ears fiasco and the third years finally realizing that their hunk of an ace is actually adorable, Tendou had been hatching out more plans to try to get a glimpse of a cute Ushijima again.

It was springtime in Japan, and the school compound was blooming with flowers. Tended diligently by the gardeners, the sight of Shiratorizawa’s greenery was beautiful. It gave the volleyball team a little bit more motivation to keep on with their running exercises.

“Wakatoshi-kun, it’s been seven laps already!” Tendou wheezed as they neared their starting line. “Let’s take a break.”

“Alright,” Ushijima barely sounds winded as he agreed. The club sighed in relief simultaneously. As they neared the tree of their starting point, they slowed to an eventual stop. Everyone was panting as they wandered around to cool down. Ushijima decided to catch his breath near the flower beds with Shirabu, Goshiki and Semi.

“Ushijima-san, aren’t you tired?” Shirabu asked as he tried to calm his breath.

“Slightly. I would have preferred to go on.”

“Me too!” Goshiki tried puffing out his chest but he wheezed and ended up coughing instead. Semi patted his back reassuringly.

“It’s okay to feel tired, Goshiki. Seven laps around this giant school is a lot.”

“My legs,” Taichi groaned as he slumped onto the grass. “It feels like they’re going to fall off any moment now.”

“You sure have quite the stamina, Wakatoshi,” Reon said with a smile. Ushijima glanced over at his exhausted teammates.

“My apologies if I had overexerted you all,” he said. Reon waved him off with a smile.

“It’s not that bad. And plus, the school is pretty now with all the flowers finally blooming again,” the boy said as he looked over to the bright flowers. “We never really paid attention to them before.”

“You’re right! And look,” Tendou pointed to the grass. “Dandelions and the little yellow wildflowers makes a pretty sight,” he said as he slumped down on the grass next to Taichi. He plucked a dandelion out of the grass. “Do you know what they say about dandelions, Tsutomu-kun?”

“What?”

“If you make a wish and blow on them, the wind will carry your wishes and will make it come true!” Tendou said gleefully.

“I didn’t think you were one to believe in those things, Tendou,” Reon said with a quirk of his lips. Tendou shrugged his shoulders, twisting the dandelion in between his fingers.

“It’s a fun thing to do. And my wishes came true so far,” he closed his eyes and hummed before blowing on them. The strands flew, picked up by the wind and was carried off. “See? It’s pretty fun if you think about it,” he glanced at the dandelion in his hand. “Oh! Not all of the strands flew.”

“Will your wish not come true, then?” Taichi asked with a grin. Tendou raised his shoulders, throwing the stalk away.

“Maybe, maybe not,” he casted a sly grin to Goshiki. “Perhaps only strong people could blow away all the strands.”

“I bet I could do it!” Goshiki, face red from his earlier exertion, bent down and plucked a dandelion.

“Don’t forget to make a wish,” Tendou reminded him. Goshiki nodded and closed his eyes tightly. His seniors around him watched amusedly as the first year loudly mumbled something under his breath. Semi had to stifle his laughter when the words ‘ace’ and ‘best player’ were heard. When Goshiki was done with his wishing, he opened his eyes and blew as hard as he could on the flower.

From the force of his breath and the hard grip of his fingers, the dandelion’s stalk snapped in half. Instead of the strands floating away, the flower fell gently back on the ground, broken in half. Goshiki stared down at it in horror as Semi howled with laughter.

“You blew on it too hard, you idiot,” Shirabu said with a roll of his eyes. “Not everything has to be done through brute force.”

“I didn’t blow on it too hard!”

“You did,” Taichi said with a chuckle, sitting up. He plucked a dandelion and brought it to his face. He closed his eyes for a while before opening them again to blow. All the strands blew away perfectly. He grinned as he looked at Goshiki. “See?”

Goshiki wailed over his flower as Semi continued to laugh. Reon shook his head at their antics. Tendou noticed that Ushijima was watching them the whole time. He grinned as an idea popped into his head. He plucked another dandelion.

“Here, Wakatoshi-kun. Why don’t you try making a wish and blowing them?” he extended the flower to Ushijima. Everyone looked at their captain who was looking down on the flower.

“I don’t really believe in those things, Tendou.”

“I know,” Tendou sighed. “But it’s fun to do, you know? Pretty even. Come on, it’s just a little flower that you need to blow,” he wiggled the flower. “Everyone else did it, so you need to do it too.”

Ushijima looked around and was greeted with hopeful stares from his teammates. He shrugged. Perhaps there is no harm doing it.

“Alright,” he accepted the flower. “Do I have to make a wish as well?”

“You have to!” Goshiki said eagerly. Ushijima frowned slightly but closed his eyes anyways. There was a beat of silence before he opened them again. Turning sideways so that he faces the direction of the evening breeze, Ushijima brought the flower close to his lips.

Inhaling a deep breath, Ushijima blew a gentle yet firm breath on the flower. The strands fluttered in the wind, carried by the breeze in the air. His usually hard gaze softened as he glanced up at the sky, watching as the strands twirl in the air.

The team watched; eyes transfixed on their captain. Admired how peaceful he looked, how the evening light softened his usually sharp side profile. Ushijima almost looked ethereal at the moment, hooded eyes trained on the sky and hair ruffling slightly from the breeze. Semi once again felt his hand automatically reach into his pocket for his phone and snapping a picture, his other hand covering his mouth to muffle his gasp in fear of ruining the atmosphere. Goshiki’s eyes were particularly starry and it was mirrored in Shirabu’s eyes. Taichi felt his leg cramping from how he was sitting up on the ground, but he was too occupied staring at Ushijima to even bother.

Tendou couldn’t find it in himself to blink. Ushijima then turned to them, and they were once again knocked breathless as Ushijima smiled slightly at them.

“You were right, Tendou. They were pretty,” he said in his usual deep voice. Tendou swallowed a lump in his throat.

“Aha, ahaha,” he laughed, trying to cover up the fact that was gawking at his best friend. “Told you so!”

“That’s ridiculous. Why would Goku lose to Barbie?” Semi had his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Tendou sitting in front of him. The redhead shrugged as he picked up a soggy fry.

“Why wouldn’t he? Have you seen the girl? She can sing, play instruments, versatile, was a palace guard at one time-”

“Excuse me, and that’s the reason why you think she’ll beat Goku?”

Reon had amused smile on as he settled his lunch tray next to Semi. Ushijima took his usual place next to Tendou, silently sitting down. Tendou popped the fry into his mouth, loudly chewing it just to spite the boy in front of him.

“She can also speak to animals! How cool is that?” Tendou grinned lazily, resting his hand on his propped-up hand. He pointed to a pissed Semi with another soggy fry. “Just give it up, SemiSemi. Goku is nowhere near Barbie’s league. Compared to Goku, in the Barbie cinematic universe-”

“Oh, there’s a cinematic universe now?” Semi groaned loudly. There was no winning against Tendou. Ushijima glanced curiously at them.

“What are you two discussing about?” he asked.

“Oh, just talking if Barbie would beat Goku in a fight,” Tendou casually said. “What do you think, Wakatoshi-kun?”

“I have never seen either two, so I cannot really say.”

“Fair point,” Tendou said with a chuckle. He looked down at Ushijima’s food tray. “Oh, you took the burger set as well? I didn’t think you were a fan of Western food.”

“I do not care for cod that much,” Ushijima said. “Reon said that the burger set tastes good, so I will give it a try.”

“It’s not bad,” Semi said, already halfway through his own burger. “But the patties they give are massive though.”

“That’s the best part. You get so much meat,” Reon said as he bit into his burger. Shirabu and Goshiki joined them as well, setting down they trays on the table. Shirabu rolls his eyes at Goshiki’s obvious elated expression at being able to sit next to Ushijima. Taichi and Yamagata joined when Semi was leaning almost halfway across the table to try to smack Tendou. Reon pulled him back to his seat by the back of his collar.

Ushijima just silently observed his friends bickering, more occupied on eating all the fries on his tray. They were a bit tasteless, but he wanted to finish them first before moving on to the burger. Once he ate the last of the fries, he gingerly picked up the burger. Semi was right, the patty was huge. It hung awkwardly from the two ends of the burger.

Bringing one end to his mouth, he took a small bite of it, pleasantly surprised by the taste. He should give the school’s Western menu more chances later on after this, he thinks to himself.

Unbeknownst to him, Ushijima had started humming silently under his breath. The whole table turned to look at him, but the boy was oblivious, too engrossed in the meal in front of him.

As he chewed the food in his mouth, he noticed that the patty had slid down the other side of the burger. Feeling a strange urge to even out the patty size to bun ratio, Ushijima turned his burger around and bit the other end as well. The patty was now proportionate to the size of the bun, he thought pleasantly, nodding to himself slightly.

The sounds of bickering and scrapings of utensils paused as the occupants of the table observed Ushijima. He wasn’t smiling, but everyone could tell by his eyes that Ushijima was happy. If not that, then the quiet, barely audible unconscious hums that he lets out was another giveaway of his mood. When they saw how _happy_ Ushijima looked from just levelling his burger, their hearts stuttered in their chests.

“You’re pretty cute, aren’t you, Wakatoshi?” Yamagata was the brave soul to say it aloud. Ushijima looked up; cheeks bloated from the food in his mouth. At the sight, Shirabu glanced away, feeling his cheeks reddening. Ushijima chewed slowly and swallowed before answering.

“I don’t think so.”

“Of course,” Tendou said with happy sigh, his wide eyes now hooded. He has both of his hands holding up his chin now and blatantly stared at Ushijima. “But it’s fine Wakatoshi-kun. That makes it even better.”

Tendou was humming, rearranging his figurines on his shelf when he heard a knock on the door to his dorm room. He excitedly bounded over, opening the door with a wide smile.

“Hello, Wakatoshi-kun!” he sang. Ushijima nodded at him, holding a pillow and his gym bag in his hands. “Come in, come in!” Tendou excitedly ushered him in.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Ushijima said gently, stepping inside. Semi lowered the manga he was reading.

“Hi, Wakatoshi,” he greeted. Ushijima nodded back.

“Thank you for letting me sleep here for the night. I’m sorry for troubling the both of you,” Tendou came over, waving his hands at the apology.

“No need! There’s no trouble at all. It wasn’t your fault your floor flooded. Did they say when they would be finished fixing it?”

“The fastest would be tomorrow,” Ushijima settled his bag down at the foot of Tendou’s bed. Kneeling next to it, he took out a blanket. Tendou blinked, watching as Ushijima laid the blanket next to his bed, placing his pillow there.

“Um, what are you doing, Wakatoshi-kun?”

“Hm? Setting up my place to sleep,” Ushijima said matter-of-factly. Semi sat up, placing the manga away.

“On the floor?”

“Where else?”

“On the bed?” Tendou patted the space next to him. “You can fit up here with me, Wakatoshi-kun.”

“I am quite big, Tendou,” Ushijima said, sitting cross legged on the makeshift bed he made. “If I sleep with you, it will be an uncomfortable fit.”

“You’d still fit though,” Semi said. Ushijima looked back at him. “If you remove those ridiculous plushies he has on his bed, it could easily fit the two of you.”

“Remove them? And put them on the floor?” Tendou let out a scandalized gasp, hands immediately going to clutch some of his plush toys. “How could you suggest such a thing, Semi Semi!”

“Okay, let Wakatoshi sleep on the floor then,” Semi said with a roll of his eyes. “The two of us can’t fit together on my bed, and you’re the only one skinny enough.”

“Wait, I can’t let Wakatoshi-kun sleep on the floor,” Tendou muttered to himself, eyes narrowing as he stared at the ceiling of the room, contemplating his choices. Ushijima shifted on the floor.

“It’s quite alright, Tendou, Semi. I can sleep on the floor fine,” he spoke up. Tendou looked down at his friend. Ushijima looked back at him with his usual stoic expression. As their eyes met, Tendou quickly made up his mind.

“No, I can’t let you sleep on the floor, Wakatoshi,” Tendou grabbed his plush toys, hesitating but gingerly placing them on his study desk. “Come up here and sleep on the bed,” Ushijima looked like he wanted to speak up, but Tendou beat him to it. “No excuses. You’re much more important than plush toys, silly.”

“You don’t have to, Tendou.”

“Hush now, Wakatoshi-kun,” Tendou reached down and tugged on his arm. “Come up now. Bring your pillow and blanket as well.”

At Tendou’s constant tugging, Ushijima finally relented and let himself be pulled up to the bed. They arranged the pillows so that it would fit. Tendou was plastered flush to the wall, his shoulders pressing against Ushijima’s as they laid down.

“I can sleep on the ground if this is-” Ushijima started, but Tendou just let out a loud sigh.

“Just sleep, Wakatoshi,” Semi said with a chuckle, standing up to walk over to the light switch. “I’m turning the lights off,” he announced. Tendou hummed, and the room plunged into darkness. Semi shuffled back to his bed and crawled under his blankets. It wasn’t long before the two of them heard his soft snores.

“Thank you, Tendou,” Ushijima quietly said. He could feel a soft pat to his biceps.

“It’s fine, Wakatoshi-kun. Think of it like a sleepover of some sorts,” he said with a light giggle. “Also, it’s been ages since I had anyone sleep on the same bed with me. I never had a friend over for so long. Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever even had a friend close enough to have them sleep over,” there was a wistful tone in his voice.

Ushijima wanted to say the same, that he didn’t really have that many friends growing up as well. He turned his head slightly to face him and was met with Tendou smiling at him. Instead of his friend’s usually cunning and teasing grin, it was a softer smile. Ushijima blinked before turning his head back up again to look at the ceiling.

“Me too,” he decided to say. Tendou chuckled.

“I could imagine,” he said. Ushijima heard him yawn. “Well, goodnight Wakatoshi-kun.”

“Goodnight, Tendou.”

Early in the morning, before his usual time to get up, Tendou woke up to something heavy on him. He tried to shuffle away, but the weight was so heavy that he couldn’t. Yawning, he blinked away the bleariness of sleep to look down.

Ushijima was curled up next to him, head almost nestled in the crook of his neck. A hand was gripping the edges of his pajama sleeve, the grip so tight that Tendou was sure that it would leave scrunch marks on the fabric.

Well, this was new, Tendou thought. He would have never thought that Ushijima was the cuddly type. Guess he learns something new about his friend every day. His hand was unfortunately cramping up, so he tried to move it slowly without waking Ushijima up.

The boy stirred next to him, and his eyes opened.

“Tendou?” his voice was heavy with sleep and confusion. Tendou immediately felt guilty for even thinking of trying to move his hand and disrupting Ushijima’s sleep. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, no,” Tendou quickly said. “Just wanted to move my hand for a bit.”

“Oh,” Ushijima’s eyes dropped lower again, clearly sleepy. Well, it was, Tendou glanced at Semi’s digital clock at the head of his roommate’s bed, three in the morning. Ushijima looks like a person to always get enough sleep.

“How about this,” Tendou shifted so that he was on his side. He was feeling rather brave, and sleepy Ushijima was just too cute for him to just pass up. “Come closer, Wakatoshi,” he whispered. Ushijima obeyed, sleepy and too out of it to even think properly. Tendou tucked him neatly under his chin, the boy’s dark hair tickling his jaw. “You can hug me,” he added.

Immediately he felt hands tugging on the shirt at his waist. Ushijima shifted slightly but eventually settled down. Tendou felt something in his heart go soft at the sight of cuddly Ushijima. The boy was never really big on physical affection during the day. Being able to touch him like this was pleasant, Tendou thought.

Ushijima was out like a light, leaving Tendou wondering what other things in Ushijima’s life that he does cutely.

Ushijima silently followed the orders of his class president, effortlessly moving the heavier props around the stage to the back. It was the school’s cultural festival, and his class and Reon’s were teaming up along with the theater club to execute a play. When asked whether the volleyball club would do anything for the festival, Coach Washijo already said no, refusing to use the gym for any other purposes than playing volleyball.

Ushijima didn’t mind it so much. He was glad he could be of help to his classmates since he’s pretty much absent for any other class or homeroom activity due to volleyball.

“Ushijima-san, can you please help carry this to the back?” his class president asked. Ushijima nodded, bending down to pick up the prop. “Please be careful. It’s quite fragile.”

“Very well,” he said, adjusting his hold. The prop was a huge crescent moon, and he carried it backstage. There, he saw Yamagata seated with some other his classmates painting a large ship prop. They were doing Peter Pan, and Ushijima was lucky enough to escape getting involved into acting roles. Speaking in front of large crowds was one thing, but acting in front of them makes the foreign uncomfortable feeling well up inside him.

“Oh, thank you, Wakatoshi,” Yamagata said as he placed the moon near him. “Can you help us paint the ship?”

“Okay,” he complied, picking up an extra brush and quietly joining into the group. The rest of them chattered away, excited and anxious for the upcoming play. Ushijima watched as Yamagata fall into their conversation as well. He made it look effortless and easy, something that Ushijima sometimes envy. He’s not a fan of small talk and Tendou mentioned that his deadpan expression wasn’t really doing him any favours as well.

It’s not like he was unfriendly. People talk to him, yes, but when they realize that he wasn’t a very engaging conversationalist, they usually stop. They are however comfortable enough to involve him in activities, joking around even when they know that he doesn’t really get most of it. It was something that Ushijima was always thankful for.

“I heard classes 1 and 2 are doing a maid café.”

“Really? That’s lame!”

“I think it’s great. It’s pretty easy to set up a café and stuff. Plus, they make money.”

“But the effort though. It’s so tiring. Plays also make money and if you think about it, we don’t do that much work since there’s so many people around.”

Tendou had told him that they were doing a maid café. He had been to maid cafes before (courtesy of being dragged around by mentioned redhead) and he doesn’t have a strong opinion on one.

“What do you say Wakatoshi?” Yamagata asked him. Ushijima’s eyes snapped up to his friend.

“Pardon?”

“I asked if you wanted to visit the maid café later during the cultural festival. Our play ends just before 10, so we have time,” Yamagata smiles kindly at him. “Also, I want to see Semi suffer in a butler outfit,” he said with a laugh.

“Alright.”

“Nice.”

Ushijima resumed his work in relative silence while other buzzed around him. The ship was rather large with an elevated platform, and it took them more than an hour to paint. Since he was the tallest there, Ushijima did most of the top parts. Smelling the paint for long periods of time was certainly not good, but Ushijima again said nothing, not wanting to trouble anyone.

By the time they were done painting the exterior, everyone was tired. Ushijima has a headache from inhaling all the paint fumes, but he again kept silent as he set aside the brushes to clean.

Perhaps he inhaled too much paint fumes. As he stood up with the bucket of brushes to wash them, he swayed on his feet, his usually strong grip wavering. Yamagata noticed and quickly went over to him, steadying his shoulders before he actually fell.

“Wakatoshi, are you alright?” he asked worriedly. Ushijima blinked at him; eyebrows furrowed. The throbbing in his head made it hard for him to focus on his friend’s face. “You don’t look so good. Why don’t you just sit down for a while?”

“Need to… clean brushes,” he mumbled. Yamagata looked down at the bucket he was holding. “My head hurts,” he admitted quietly.

“Oh, you must have inhaled too much of the paint fumes,” Yamagata said. “You did paint the majority of the top part of the ship. You should’ve said so earlier, or wear a mask at least,” Yamagata scolded him. He let the other take the bucket from him. “Go and sit somewhere. I’ll tell the class president to let you rest for a while.”

“No, I want to…” Ushijima protested weakly, but his head was spinning. “I want to contribute.”

“You did, Wakatoshi,” Yamagata softened his voice seeing his captain like this. Ushijima off court is a totally different person than he is on court. It’s as if volleyball is the only thing that he’s confident at. “You helped a lot. So why don’t you rest for a while and help again when you feel better?”

“Mm,” Ushijima frowned, but Yamagata was insistent. He dragged Ushijima over to a secluded corner backstage and pushed him down to sit.

“I’ll be back after washing the brushes. You want anything from the vending machine?”

“Just… water.”

“Okay,” Yamagata patted his shoulder. “I’ll be back, Wakatoshi. You get some rest, yeah?”

Ushijima leaned back against the wall as he closed his eyes. His head was still throbbing but it lessened after he sat down. _This is ridiculous_ , he thinks.

_I want to help. I want to be useful._

Despite knowing he’s not much of use now, Ushijima wanted to get up and help. He can’t just sit down and do nothing while others work. He’s already not participating in much class activities from the start, and now he feels like he’s cheating his way out of work.

 _Surely no one else acts all weak from just a headache_.

His mother would definitely lecture him if she knew he was just sitting around and not help around. _No matter how beaten down you are, you must keep going._ His mother’s words swirled inside his brain. His grandmother’s voice also chimed in, reminding him that he is a man and he needs to always push himself to be better. The voices made his headache worse.

He can’t sit around like this. _What a disgrace you are, Wakatoshi. A little headache and you’re out? Weak._ Another voice spoke in his head. Ushijima didn’t want to hear any of that, so he pushed himself up. Screw the headache, he needs to help.

A hand landed on his shoulders and pushed him back down. Ushijima opened his eyes and saw a blurred image of Reon in front of him.

“Now where do you think you’re going, hm?” he asked dryly. There was a cold bottle of water in his hands. “Don’t say ‘to help’. Hayato said you inhaled too much paint fumes. You should be resting.”

“I can’t just-”

“Yes, you can,” Reon sighed. He sat down next to Ushijima, handing him the bottle. “Drink, and maybe nap for a while. If you still feel dizzy, we’ll go to the nurse’s office.”

Nurse’s office? Ushijima wondered who was on duty. If it’s Ito-sensei, he would rather not go. Ito-sensei is a family friend. What if she tells his mother that he went to nurse’s office for a measly headache? Ushijima was sure he would be subjugated with a long lecture by his mother, followed by another lecture by his grandmother.

“Okay, I’ll rest,” he said. That surprised Reon, but he was grateful that Ushijima relented. He uncapped the bottle and took two large gulps of the cold water. It seems like Reon was put on watch duty since he was still sitting next to him, now scrolling down on his phone.

 _A nap is probably the fastest way to settle this headache_.

He tried closing his eyes to sleep, the position he was in wasn’t really comfortable. He tried shifting a few times, sliding down so that his back would be bent against the wall, but to no avail. Reon watched as his friend get into increasingly worrying positions to sleep. He sighed. Ushijima really won’t ask for help, would he?

“You can lean on my shoulder if you want,” he finally said. He regards Ushijima for a while. The boy awkwardly bends so that he could rest on Reon’s shoulders. It looks uncomfortable since Ushijima is a good seven centimeters taller than him. Reon wanted to laugh at the other’s expression, but he stifled it. “Okay, leaning on my shoulder is not the best option. You can just lie your head on my lap,” he invited, patting his thigh.

Ushijima hesitated. Reon knew the other was not very comfortable on physical touch, but after hearing Tendou’s story of how his friend was apparently a cuddle monster in bed, Reon figured he could push Ushijima a little bit. At his reluctance, Reon raised an eyebrow.

“Or we can go rest at the nurse’s office.”

At that, Ushijima slowly shuffled down, lowering his head on Reon’s thighs. He could feel his cheeks reddening, embarrassment suddenly taking over. He and Reon had been friends since they were first years and he was probably the closest friend he has after Tendou. Besides, it’s just so Reon-like to offer his lap for him to sleep on. He had always been the more attentive one amongst the third years.

Reon noticed Ushijima’s furrowed eyebrows and red cheeks. He has his eyes tightly closed, and the boy wanted to laugh and sigh at the same time. Ushijima probably wouldn’t get any much sleep like that. He gingerly took off his jacket and draped it over his friend’s head. He saw that Ushijima’s body froze at the action.

“So that no one could see that it’s you. And it blocks out the light, so it’s better for your head,” Reon explained unprompted. He placed a hand on what he estimates as Ushijima’s head. He was right. “Relax, Wakatoshi. Just sleep, hm? Don’t worry about anything else,” he soothed him.

He could see Ushijima’s shoulders slowly relaxing, the tension seeping out as he melted against his friend. Reon snuck his hand under the jacket so that he could pet Ushijima directly on his head. His hair was as soft as it looks like, he thinks to himself. He smiles when Ushijima let himself be petted to sleep. He resumed his previous activity of scrolling through his social media, humming under his breath gently.

He was sort of lying about the jacket covering who he was, since everyone who walks past them knows that it’s Ushijima slumbering on his lap from the size of his body. Reon would hold his finger to his lips as a sign to be quiet. They all smiled and quietly tip toed by, some even giggling under their breaths, words like ‘cute’ and ‘lovely’ whispered through the air. Reon agrees to that. It’s a shame that it took him almost three years to recognize that his usually stoic and expressionless friend has a cute side to him.

Reon let Ushijima sleep for almost an hour. Yamagata had stopped by thirty minutes in, asking about Ushijima. The boy was still sleeping soundly, and the two of them couldn’t find in themselves to wake him up. Even the class president had asked them to let Ushijima rest more. Apparently, he had done most of the heavy lifting earlier, adding to his fatigue and headache. Reon would probably have to remind him to not exert himself too much when he wakes up. Funny, since that was the one thing Ushijima always reminds their juniors during volleyball practice.

Most of the people had filtered out for dinner, done for the day. Yamagata had sat next to him, both just waiting for Tendou and Semi to get here so that they could go to dinner together. They didn’t have to wait long when the two arrived, Semi half angry and Tendou sticking his tongue out at him.

“Hello!”

“Shh,” Yamagata hushed him. Tendou blinked as he took in the sight in front of him. If Yamagata and Reon were the ones sitting, then the one lying on Reon’s lap with his jacket over his head must be…

Tendou gasped.

“Is that Wakatoshi-kun?” he asked gleefully, voice in a stage whisper. Yamagata rolled his eyes at the other’s attempt at keeping quiet.

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Man, how do you guys always get to see Wakatoshi’s cute side,” Semi complained as he squatted down in front of Reon. “I’m kinda jealous, not gonna lie.”

“You just don’t look hard enough, Semi Semi.”

“Whatever,” Semi said. “Can I lift the jacket? We have to wake him up sooner or later. It’s his favourite dinner menu today as well.”

“Sure,” Reon gently removed the jacket, and the third years watched with bated breath as Ushijima was slowly revealed. Semi felt like his heart stopped beating for a while when he saw what was underneath the jacket.

Ushijima was sound asleep, his usual furrowed eyebrows smoothed out, eyes closed peacefully. He looked cute just sleeping, but what made everyone simultaneously coo is the thumb stuck in between his lips as if it was a pacifier. His other hand had curled into his chest, his body bent in a fetal position.

“Oh god, I don’t think I can wake him,” Reon covered his face with both of his hands. “Tendou, you do it.”

“I can’t,” Tendou clutched his heart. “I can’t. I want to let him sleep forever.”

“You guys are ridiculous,” Semi said, his voice not as even as he hoped it was. After a quick snap of a picture with his phone, he gently prodded Ushijima awake. “Wakatoshi?” he had never heard this side of his voice. Since when did his voice go that soft? “Wakatoshi, wake up. It’s dinner time,” he continued.

Ushijima grunted softly and shifted. Strands of his hair fell into his eyes, and Semi automatically pushed them back up on his head. His eyes widened at the texture of his hair.

“Oh wow,” he said quietly. “His hair is so soft,” he admired. When Ushijima didn’t move nor open his eyes, Semi called for him again. “Wakatoshi, wake up. Come on, it’s dinner time,” he said, now patting his head. Ushijima slowly opened his eyes, blinking awake. He blearily stared at his Semi first before his eyes traveled to see Tendou and Yamagata. There was a hand on his head, patting him.

“Reon?” he called softly. The owner of the lap he was lying on perked up at his name.

“Yes, Wakatoshi?” when Ushijima didn’t say anything further, Reon chuckled. “Wakatoshi, you need to get up. They’re serving your favourite food at dinner.”

“Hayashi rice?” he sleepily asked. Semi nodded his head.

“Yep, hayashi rice. Now get up,” he said, finally withdrawing his hand. They all watched as Ushijima push himself to sit up, hair sticking out oddly. Yamagata chuckled and extended his hand to smooth it out.

“Come on, Wakatoshi. Wash your face and let’s go eat.”

“Okay,” he said.

“Is your head okay now?”

“Hmm, better,” Ushijima said with a nod. He glanced at Reon. “Thank you for letting me sleep on your lap. It must have been stiff.”

“No, no,” Reon shook his head. “It was fine.”

“Let’s go, Wakatoshi-kun,” Tendou held a hand out. Ushijima accepted it and stood up with the help of Tendou’s pull. The redhead patted Ushijima’s chest gently. “Now that you had a great nap, let’s go eat. Then we can all go back to my room to hang out.”

“Alright,” Ushijima rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Reon stood up and wore his jacket again. The five of them walked towards the theater’s exit together. “Can I read this week’s Jump magazine first after you?” Ushijima suddenly asked. Tendou hummed happily.

“You know what, Wakatoshi-kun? I’ll let you read it first before I do.”

Japan won silver for the men’s volleyball in the Olympics. It was a close match during the finals against Argentina with both teams relentless in playing, hell bent on winning. Despite having high confidence in his own team (Ushijima truly believes that his team was created for winning), he knew at the sight of Oikawa Tooru clad in Argentina’s sky-blue smirking at his team from across the net, that it will be a tough match.

They were no longer enemies. They were too old for that now, but Ushijima still stands by his words that whichever team has Oikawa in it would have their strength increased tenfold. It was an amazing talent.

Though he can’t say that his own teammates weren’t amazing. Being able to play on the same team with Hinata and Kageyama, finally able to see the comeback of their freak shots, of how high the orange-haired male could actually jump, Ushijima admits that he was starstruck when he first saw it during practice. Kageyama’s precision in his tosses were frightening even though Ushijima had worked with him before when they were in Schweiden Adlers. The way the man easily adjusts his tosses to accommodate Ushijima’s left handedness, Kageyama makes it look like it was easy.

_“Sorry Ushijima-san. That was a little bit short,” Kageyama apologized to him. Ushijima shook his head._

_“Not really. I am used to adjusting the way I spike. That one was alright.”_

_“No,” Kageyama quickly said. He then pursed his lips, mulling his words for a while. Ushijima waited. He knew that the other was not really good with words. A trait that Ushijima can relate to. “It diminishes your power if you have to adjust like that,” he finally says._

_“It does, slightly,” Ushijima admits. Kageyama picked up another ball, a determined look on his face._

_“Again. I want to toss to you properly.”_

_Ushijima doesn’t really mind a slightly short toss. That was common with setters since the majority of the human population are right-handed. However, he humours this request. He likes Kageyama’s quiet determination._

_Kageyama tossed, and Ushijma spiked it. It was slightly better than the first one, but Ushijima could see the frown lines on the setter’s face._

_“Again,” he requested, and Ushijima acquiesced._

_A little run up, and when he jumped, Ushijima’s eyes widened. The ball stopped right in front of his left hand, and he didn’t have to twist his body even the slightest. The ball slammed to the other side of the net, and Ushijima stared at it, a little bit dumbfounded and amazed at the same time. He turned to his side and saw Kageyama looking at him smiling excitedly._

_“How was that?” he asked._

_Ushijima looked at his left hand and the ball that had rolled to the end of the court. He rarely had a ball positioned that perfectly with his hand. He finds himself smiling slightly as well._

_“Perfect.”_

Atsumu’s tosses were more violent and energy fueled, but so were Ushijima’s spikes. He was used to having to adjust his spikes since high school, to angle his jumps just to right slightly. Atsumu wasn’t a genius, but he was fast and quick-witted.

Sakusa Kiyoomi’s presence was greatly enjoyed by Ushijima, the two of them finding themselves almost together at every occasion. Ushijima wasn’t one for crowds and conversations, similarly with Sakusa. They would stand quietly next to each other, not touching since Ushijima knew the other hated that. Aran Ojiro would occasionally join them, mainly to escape from being constantly pestered by Atsumu and Suna Rintarou. Ushijima had never seen anyone on his phone so frequently as Suna is. The man has a unique sense of humour, one time distributing a small, A6 printed photobook of candid shots of the whole team (although most of them are shots of Atsumu in unflattering positions. Aran had hidden behind him and Sakusa for the whole day to avoid a rampaging Atsumu and a snickering Suna).

_“You ass!” Atsumu yelled. Ushijima didn’t really pay attention; his eyes were more occupied with the small photobook in his hand. There were a lot of pictures of Atsumu, yes, but there were also pictures of him as well. There was one where he was teaching Hinata how to receive, his face stern and Hinata’s determined. There was another time when they were all having dinner together after practice. He looked surprised in that candid photo and Yaku next to him was grinning. He remembered that it was the first time he tried deer sashimi. The other had fed him the meat and had laughed at his expression._

_Ushijima flipped the book again. There was another picture of him helping Bokuto stretch. And another where Aran and Kuroo, from the Sports Promotion Division, was laughing at whatever he must have said. He wasn’t laughing in the picture. In fact, he looked mildly confused. Ushijima thinks that Tendou would laugh if he sent that photo to him. His friend had always said that he was a comedian, but Ushijima doesn’t really feel like he’s funny._

_“Where did he find the budget to do this?” he heard Sakusa groan next to him. He was looking at a picture of himself cowering on top of stacked mats. Ushijima remembered vividly of that incident. Sakusa saw a cockroach in the storage room and had clambered over Ushijima to reach on top of the stack of mats, screaming in a pitch that Ushijima didn’t know men could hit. Ushijima wasn’t particularly scared of bugs. Living at the countryside does that to a person, and he merely stepped on it and picked the dead bug away with tissue afterwards. After washing his hands, Sakusa had stuck next to him the whole day, as if thanking him silently._

_“It is quite amusing,” Ushijima said. Sakusa rolled his eyes._

_“To you, Ushijima-san. All of your pictures turned out good.”_

_“Yeah, you’re really photogenic,” Suna said, appearing out of the blue. Sakusa had jumped back, narrowing his eyes at him. Suna merely ignored the other’s reaction. “Or maybe it’s because you always have the same expression on? I don’t know. What I do know is that you look way better than that bastard over there,” he said with a snicker, pointing to Atsumu who was being held down by Bokuto and Hinata. Hearing the other’s taunt, Atsumu was fired up again._

_“What was that, ya scrub! Get back here!”_

_A chase followed. Aran had hidden behind him and Sakusa after that, face clearly tired._

_“Why do you play babysitter for them?” Sakusa asked dryly. Aran sighed._

_“It’s like a curse I can’t shake off. Not since that training camp in middle school.”_

Playing with Bokuto Koutaro was like standing too close to fire. He is energizing, loud and playful. Sometimes the man would lose his spirit, but he would regain it again just as fast. Ushijima sometimes think it’s amazing Bokuto had survived this far in life considering his limited knowledge in anything else other than volleyball. But to be fair, Tendou always says the same about him as well so Ushijima feels like he wasn’t in a position to judge.

Yaku Morisuke is perhaps the most dependable libero Ushijima had ever played with. There was no ball he couldn’t pick up. The man’s small stature makes it easy for him to chase the ball, weaving through people to support them. Yaku never hesitated to save a ball, and sometimes Ushijima would hear the man curse in Russian when he slams himself too hard on the ground. It was always worrying, but Ushijima knows that Yaku is aware of his own limits. The man had assured him that once.

_“Are you alright, Yaku-san?” Ushijima held a hand out to help. Yaku had crashed into the prepared mats their coach had put down around the court, knowing that Yaku would stop at absolutely nothing to connect the ball._

_“I’m fine, Ushijima-san!” the man sounds chipper as he accepted the outstretched hand. “This is normal.”_

_“You could hurt yourself,” Ushijima finds himself blurting out. He was concerned. Yaku looked up to him, a surprised expression clearly painted on his face. It then broke into a small laugh and a wide smile._

_“I know my limits, Ushijima-san,” he said. “But thank you for worrying. I didn’t think you would.”_

_“Why wouldn’t I be concerned about the wellbeing of my teammates?” Ushijima furrowed his eyebrows. Yaku’s smile softened._

_“I didn’t think you would, but thank you. I appreciate it, Ushijima-san.”_

All in all, Ushijima thinks that his team was clearly built for success. Winning silver was something prideful to take in as well, especially winning it at the Olympics hosted by his own country. He had stood with pride on the pedestal, bowing when the head judge had slotted a shiny silver medal around his neck.

He made it. He became bigger than he had ever expected himself to be. He could see his father waving from the VIP section of the crowds. He was wearing a jersey with his name printed on the back. His mother wasn’t there, but he knows she would be watching. He hoped that he had made her proud.

Oikawa had to bend lower next to him, the gold that was slung around his neck glinting as brightly as the look in his eyes. After photos were taken and they had stepped down, Ushijima had turned around to face his former opponent.

“Congratulations, Oikawa,” he said, extending a hand over for him to shake. Oikawa smirked, accepting the handshake.

“Congratulations as well, Ushiwaka,” he said teasingly. The nickname didn’t sound malicious this time, not like how the man had said it to him during their high school years. “You played well.”

“As you,” Ushijima humbly bowed. “The team is going out for drinks tonight at the Olympic village. Come, join us.”

“Are you sure? We’re rivals, aren’t we?”

“We were,” Ushijima was still holding onto Oikawa’s hand. He squeezed it gently, surprising the other when he smiled slightly. “But this is also your home, Oikawa. And you are always welcome home.”

Oikawa had agreed, his voice slightly shaking as he said so. Ushijima asked why his eyes were tearing up, but Oikawa had smacked him away with the bouquet in his hand.

Ushijima hadn’t remembered the last time he drank. He avoids it mainly because of training and he wasn’t a big drinker in the first place. Squished in between Bokuto and Atsumu, the two had relentlessly supplied him with alcohol. Ushijima thinks that this was his third can of Strong Zero, but Atsumu keeps repeating how he deserves to drink.

“Come on captain,” Atsumu pressed the third can of Strong Zero into his palm. He had already popped the cap of the can for him. “You led us to this victory. Give yourself some credit and enjoy for one night.”

Ushijima was momentarily stunned at the words, but the table had chanted ‘drink, drink’ repeatedly at him while smiling. He looked down at the alcohol in his hand, feeling already tipsy after his first two cans. He nodded and took a long gulp of the drink. Everyone cheered at that, and more drinks came.

Ushijima rarely drinks Strong Zero, mainly for one reason. The can looks innocent, but it could get anyone drunk so easily. Staying sober was a struggle after one can, and Ushijima felt himself be carried by the festivities and the happy atmosphere of the room.

He’s drunk. He probably is. He can’t really think straight, only feeling happier now. He was smiling, perhaps too widely. People were cheering at him, laughing and cracking jokes that he was laughing to, even if he doesn’t really understand what they meant.

“I didn’t think Ushijima to be an… affectionate drunk,” Yaku said as he watched as Ushijima plaster himself to Atsumu. The blonde was also drunk and was pressing against Ushijima as well, laughing at something that was probably dumb.

“I have never seen him smile that much,” Kuroo was invited as well, along with Kenma who sponsored almost half of the team. Kenma was done for the night, curled next to his best friend. His eyes were sleepy, but his fingers were pressing buttons so fast on his console that it gave Kuroo a headache just looking at it.

“He doesn’t look like a person who smiles a lot. It takes a lot from us to have him to smile during the promotional photoshoot,” Kuroo said with a chuckle.

“You didn’t even end up using the picture,” Kenma commented with a snort.

“Have you seen Ushijima and Kageyama’s smile?” Kuroo shivered. “We would scare away fans, holy shit,” Yaku laughed next to him.

“Hoo?” Kuroo’s eyes lit up as he saw Oikawa entered along with Iwaizumi.

“Hey, Argentina boy!” Bokuto had jumped onto the man, an arm slung around his neck. Oikawa had squawked at the impact. Iwaizumi saw the pleading look in Oikawa’s eyes as Bokuto latched on him, but he decided to ignore it and took a seat next to Komori, accepting the drink offered. Oikawa was mildly offended.

“Iwa-chan!”

“My team won silver today, Oikawa. I deserve a break, don’t I?” was Iwaizumi’s response.

“Oikawa?” Ushijima lifted his head at the mention of the name. He saw Bokuto drag Oikawa near him, and he had clumsily stood up, a strange eagerness blooming inside him to greet the other. Oikawa had to maneuver around to escape Bokuto’s clutches, but he cried out as he fell over when Ushijima practically threw himself onto him.

“What the fuck!” he cried out. “Ushiwaka, get the hell off of me!”

“Oikawa, I didn’t think I’ve told you this before,” Ushijima hiccupped as he sat up, sitting on Oikawa’s legs, successfully pining him down. “You’re a really good player and I’ve always admired you. I’m so glad we get to play each other again.”

“Look, I’m flattered, Ushiwaka, but please know that you’re heavy. Get off me.”

“No,” Ushijima furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m not finished! I was a real asshole during high school, and I don’t think I apologized yet,” his words were slurred, but he hoped that Oikawa gets what he is saying. “I’m really sorry, and I really want us to be friends.”

“You’re speaking so much more that I have ever heard you ever speak since middle school,” Oikawa groaned, giving up on pushing Ushijima off him. Ushijima let out an uncharacteristic whine that had the man below him stared at him wide-eyed.

“Holy shit I’ve never heard Ushijima-san make that sound before,” Atsumu gasped. Oikawa swallowed, knowing that the only way to get the man sitting on him to get off was to appease him.

“Okay, okay. I accept your apology. Get off me now, my legs are cramping up. Iwa-chan!” he glared at his friend, but the athletic trainer pointedly ignored him, clinking his glass with Kiryuu from across the table instead.

“Oh yay!” Ushijima laughed. He was pulled backwards by Bokuto. The spiky-haired male was hugging him from behind, and the two stumbled backwards giggling. Oikawa felt like this was all too surreal and horrifying at the same time and escaped next to Hinata.

“You’re so huggable, Ushijima!” Bokuto had said happily. Ushijima hummed; his smile so wide that his cheeks hurt. Bokuto was very huggable as well, he thinks as he they somehow maneuvered around to pull Kenma into the hug as well. It was like holding a feral kitten in between them. Kenma didn’t really have claws like a kitten would, but his nails were pretty sharp.

Being squished to death in between two large, drunk beefy men wasn’t really the way Kenma would imagine how his death would be, and he refused it to be that way. Kuroo was laughing way to hard for him to ask for help. He narrowed his eyes at his friend’s reaction. He would remember Kuroo’s betrayal until the day he dies.

“My, my, Wakatoshi-kun. You sure are affectionate with your teammates, aren’t you?”

The familiar voice made Ushijima look up. Standing at the door of the private room was Tendou Satori, the friend that had said that he couldn’t make it to the game due to his job back in Paris.

“Satori?” he croaked, letting go of Kenma (who scrambled away quickly. Bokuto was much too slow to grab him back, much to his disappointment). Tendou’s eyes lit up as he smile widened when he heard Ushijima addressing him by his first name.

“Now who was the sneaky one who got you drunk, hm?” he went over to his long-time friend to help him up. He laughed when Ushijima hugged him, arms wounding around his waist and head buried in his neck.

“You said you couldn’t make it,” he mumbled.

“Hmm, surprise?” Tendou laughed. “I wouldn’t miss my best bud’s game for the world!” Ushijima was so giddy hearing that, he tightened his hold on the skinny man. Tendou hummed happily, hugging him back.

“Is he usually that touchy drunk?” Kenma had asked, gasping for breath. Tendou laughed airily.

“Only when super drunk. How did you get him this drunk? I’ve always tried to get him to drink more but he usually refuses.”

Ushijima lifted his head from the nook of Tendou’s neck, smiling. Tendou grinned as he cupped Ushijima’s face.

“What’s in your head, Wakatoshi-kun?” he asked, squishing his cheeks playfully. Ushijima pouted, pulling his head away from in between Tendou’s hands.

“I’m happy,” he said. He looked back to his teammates and friends surrounding the table. “I’m really happy.”

“Well, aren’t you a little cutie, Wakatoshi-kun,” Tendou’s coo made everyone turn their eyes to them.

“No,” he said, his eyes softened. “I’m happy. All of this makes me happy. I didn’t know I could love something so much other than volleyball,” Ushijima paused for a while. “Thank you, everyone. I love all of you very much.”

After the admission, Ushijima suddenly feels shy. He turned back to hide his face in Tendou’s neck. The whole room paused for a while after that. They have never seen this side of their captain. Ushijima was always the stern, stoic and dependable person that they can always rely on.

 _I want to be an ace that can be relied on_.

They have never seen Ushijima other than a reliable captain and a good friend. Praises were hard to earn from him, but he never berates those who were genuinely trying. He works hard, training with the team and helping him improve. He helped Hinata with his receives, Kageyama with precision, had helped Bokuto regain his spirits back multiple times, hoisted Yaku back on his feet, killed countless of bugs for Sakusa, calmed the competitive Atsumu down, helped Aran with his spikes, never minding Suna with his hobby of documenting everything some of the most inconvenient moments (even humoring him at times), respecting Iwaizumi’s choices and following his regiment properly and so much more than the team could possibly count.

Ushijima is an ace that can be depended on. That was clear, and made even clearer during their last match at the Olympics. He was always there, always ready and always prepared to help. He doesn’t talk much, but his presence was greatly felt. Appreciated. Celebrated.

Seeing their ace curled into Tendou’s neck, shy from his candid confession to the team, frankly left the whole room’s brains fried.

Tendou chuckled, patting Ushijima’s head.

“Yeah, you are a little cutie, Wakatoshi-kun,” he eyed the speechless room. “And I think everyone here thinks that as well.”


End file.
